Chapter 47: Leaving the Hollow and Ling

As the crystal fully inserted into Eies, its body suddenly floated upward, emitting a blinding white light.

Ye Qingfeng looked at this scene and felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

Isn’t this just some footage I saw online before!

Bumbu’s hyper-evolution, right!

At the same moment, Ling in the video store suddenly collapsed into unconsciousness; vivid scenes flashed repeatedly in her mind, finally freezing on the image of Zero Hollow—before she could prepare, the Hollow abruptly expanded and engulfed her.

“No… don’t scare me…” Zhe immediately caught the unconscious Ling, utterly at a loss; he could only keep calling her name, “Wake up… Ling!”

Ling felt no sensation in her body, only the thought in her mind—struggling to open her eyes, but her eyelids felt glued shut.

She felt no time, no other colors, no sound—only utter blackness before her.

【Terms and Conditions… No authorization granted to others…】

A feminine-sounding electronic voice suddenly echoed in Ling’s mind, causing her head to throb painfully.

【No transfer or conveyance by any means…】

At this moment, inside the Hollow, the four members of the Hare’s Den led by Eies successfully exited the Hollow.

“Boss! You did it—we’re out!”

The instant they left the Hollow, Billy let out a cheer.

The other three all sensed something was off.

Since Eies inserted the crystal, it had remained silent, leading them toward the Hollow’s exit.

Throughout, Eies made no sound from Ling, and its movements were like those of a soulless robot—strangely unnatural.

Ye Qingfeng had noticed the anomaly early: normally, Eies sprinted swiftly on its short legs, but now each step was mechanical, every stride identical in distance.

Had he not realized the path Eies took matched the shortest route to exit the Hollow stored in his mind…

Ye Qingfeng would have immediately restrained Eies—and he didn’t believe for a second that Billy hadn’t noticed anything strange.

But now was not the time for speculation—he had to hurry to the video store and check on Ling.

【...You agree that, when necessary to protect your mutual interests with this entity, full authorization shall be granted…】

Meanwhile, the voice in Ling’s mind continued.

Eies collapsed the instant it exited the Hollow, its body convulsing uncontrollably.

“Bumbu is convulsing… We should go check on the original.”

Anbi, seeing Eies convulse, felt a bad omen and spoke up:

“Right, we must hurry to the store and check on Ling.” Ye Qingfeng immediately agreed: “I have a bad feeling about her condition…”

Ling only felt the voice in her mind was unbearable: “Ugh… so loud… What even is this sound…?”

【Do you agree to the above user terms?】

“Disagree…”

Ling felt information surging in her brain… excruciatingly painful.

She hadn’t even clearly heard the voice—she reflexively refused.

【Do you agree to the above user terms?】

The unknown consciousness within Ling’s mind asked again.

“Disagree… How many times do I have to say it!!”

Instantly, her brain erupted in searing pain, spreading throughout her entire body.

So painful…! Stop it! My eyes… my organs are all going to…

“I agree! Fine, I agree already!”

Ling instantly accepted—the pain in her organs, brain, and eyes slowly receded.

【Authorization agreement completed. Delighted to serve you.】

【Let us together build New Aelidu…】

At the same moment… outside New Aelidu.

A conversation highly relevant to this incident was heard.

“Incredible—one of the 【Keys】 has been activated!”

“Incredible—one of the 【Keys】 has been activated…” A pause, then continued: “Which one? Ghost? Jinni? Or YouKai?”

“None of those. It’s Fairy.”

“Oh my, how fascinating.” A faint smile curled upward. “Will another 【Key】 appear in the future?”

Inside the Six-Fen Street Video Store, Ling slowly opened her eyes, a hint of confusion lingering in them.

“You’re finally awake.” Zhe exhaled in relief. “Don’t worry—you’re safe now, back home.”

Ling, who had been staring downward, suddenly snapped alert as memories of her unconsciousness flooded back: “Where’s the memory crystal? Where are Qingfeng and the others?”

“And… how did I even get back?” Her emotions surged uncontrollably.

“Calm down, sister,” Zhe soothed her. “You’ve just regained consciousness—don’t overexert yourself.”

Zhe continued: “I’ll explain everything later. First, tell me what happened after you accessed the crystal.”

You're so mean, brother... I asked first!

Ling pouted and recounted her agonizing, bizarre experience in full detail.

“Hmm… Sounds like rambling.” Zhe fell into thought after listening, murmuring softly: “Or maybe like transcripts from a psychiatric ward…”

“In short, I understand your ordeal. Now, let me answer your questions.”

Zhe spoke calmly, recounting what followed.

“After you accessed the data crystal, Eies went out of control—seemed to enter some kind of overload state, flashing white light like a dance floor ball in a 404live show.”

“I thought the escape route had failed, but suddenly Eies moved—leading Nico and the others out of the Hollow.”

“During that time, you fell unconscious, convulsing and muttering nonstop.”

Ling’s expression turned grim after hearing Zhe’s account: “Brother… you didn’t secretly record any of that, did you?”

Zhe chuckled helplessly, slowly pulling out his phone and waving it in his hand: “You’re focused on this? I figured you’d guess—I didn’t just record it, I sent a copy to Qingfeng too~”

“Wh… what!” Ling’s eyes widened in shock; she lunged at Zhe to snatch his phone. “Give it to me! You really sent it to Qingfeng?!”

Zhe stepped back several times, evading her attack; seeing she couldn’t get it, her heart sank. Then she imagined Ye Qingfeng already seeing it.

Her heart turned ice-cold…

“I’m never speaking to you again!!”

Ling staggered backward, utterly defeated, collapsing onto the sofa and rolling around dramatically: “I don’t want to live anymore! Waaahhh…”

Qipao Ling Mei ←

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